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Progress Now NM Welcomes New Progressive Voice

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Last fall, our boots-on-the-ground grassroots movement helped ensure we elected more progressive legislators to office. This January, we pushed progressive policy issues to the forefront at the Legislature. It’s now June, which means our calendar is stacked with municipal elections, legislative interim committees and a clock that’s counting the days until primary season! Fortunately, our Progress Now New Mexico team is growing to help keep you informed every step of the way! We’re excited to welcome another team member ready to fight battles on behalf of our progressive community.

Healthcare

Picket Planned After Workers Snubbed During Negotiations with UNMH

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Last week, the National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees Local 1199, started a series of pickets against UNM Hospital (UNMH) after entering into contentious contract negotiations where local nurses, caregivers and staff would lose benefits that are already provided to them if they sign a new negotiated agreement. Now, the union is asking for community support in turning up the heat on UNMH. This Thursday, June 20 at 5:30pm, the union will hold another picket on Lomas, outside of UNMH. Members request the presence of community allies who believe in better working conditions, fair pay and respect for workers. The picket comes on the heels of UNMH’s deal to provide their CEO a cash compensation as high as $155,000 in addition to a base salary of $620,000.

Actions

Almost 500 New Mexicans have already signed letters supporting our clean energy future: Now it’s your turn!

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A few weeks back ProgressNow New Mexico published a blog exposing so-called “Power the Future” for the (likely) Koch Brothers-funded mouthpieces they really are. The response from across the state has been incredible! Click Here to send a letter NOW! Our friends at Conservation Voters of New Mexico even sent our blog out to their members with a call to action to tell Larry Behrens, PTF’s local spokes-lackey and long-time NM conservative mouthpiece, that New Mexicans are not reversing course. We’re invested in clean, renewable energy future AND in ensuring that workers from across the state, including those in the oil and gas fields, are represented with longterm and sustainable options not tied to the volatile global energy syndicates.

flaring

NMOGA and Power the Future: The best army money can buy?

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Remember last month when we laid out how Washington DC based “Power the Future” was really just another (probably) Koch brothers scheme to undermine the debate around methane waste in New Mexico? Well in the last month we’ve seen them keep up the drumbeat put forward by the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA) with almost Pavlovian-like responses. Most recently, NMOGA has been saying that methane emissions are actually down in New Mexico. News flash: they aren’t. Even the Trump administration admits that climate emissions are basically flat (see chart below), and other analysises has shown that methane emissions in the oil and gas industry are on the rise.

2019 Legislature

Coming soon: Fracking fluid on New Mexico crops?!

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Oh fair New Mexico, we love you so… but there’s always something isn’t there? Last month, former Wyoming-based rodeo clown Marvin Nash applied to start using “produced water” on crops here in New Mexico. Wait, what? Hold on a minute. What does a rodeo clown from Wyoming know about putting contaminated water on crops?

Uncategorized

Nationally funded group hires local GOP spokesperson to try and greenwash the energy debate in NM

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It’s late spring in New Mexico and everything is sprouting, even new dark money funded pro energy groups. One called “Power the Future” just cropped up and hired a recycled Susana Martinez political operative as their New Mexico lead in an attempt to hide their east coast home base. But don’t worry, we have pulled the weeds on this one to show you where their roots and branches really lead. It’s not pretty. The oil and gas industry and the heavily funded political arms they control are springing forward with aggression and are using this time in New Mexico to try and stir the pot and sow seeds of discord when it comes to the huge progress we’ve made by passing the Energy Transition Act, moving toward stronger statewide oil and gas regulations and other efforts to promote a cleaner energy future under Governor Lujan Grisham.

Federal Issues

Immigration Is A Reproductive Justice Issue

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Last summer, it was exposed to the world that the United States of America is still up to its racist shenanigans- putting a group of people who are not white into what is essentially a concentration camp. We did it to the Japanese, we exploited Black people for free labor then decided to skirt Emancipation by implementing the 13th Amendment, and we did it to Indigenous people through forced relocation to exploit natural resources. Immigration is a reproductive justice issue. Parents deserve to raise their families in safe communities with the resources to take care of their families. People who decide to carry their pregnancy to term deserve access to quality, nondiscriminatory prenatal care and to give birth in a safe environment.

2019 Legislature

#NMLEG WRAP UP

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This year’s legislative session was a really intense roller coaster, to say the least, and we all took some time to rest and reflect together on why we do this important political work. ProgressNow New Mexico’s coverage hardly scratched the surface and I want to take a moment to fill you in. I will also give you some tips on how you can help fight back against dangerous rhetoric! Reproductive Health

Anti-abortion extremists were in full force, spreading misinformation and only harassing an Indigenous and queer person (me) over House Bill 51, not including legislators and their families. They regularly use tactics like harassing and stalking to intimidate activists, medical providers, and patients so this is just one of their many tactics.

SINE DIE- NM LEG EDITION

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Sine die is upon us. It’s a fancy way of saying the end of the 2019 Legislative Session is almost here. In the last five days of the session, there are still a lot of bills that have not had a hearing in one chamber or in the next committee. Let’s break it down for you:

HB 51- Keep Abortion Safe and Legal

The repeal of a pre- Roe v. Wade law that would criminalize healthcare providers and patients seeking abortions passed Senate Judiciary on Monday and is on the Senate Floor calendar. We must tell the Senate to prioritize healthcare!